Wear and laundering of fabric articles, and particularly white fabric articles, can result in a discoloration from the original fabric color. For example, white fabrics which are repeatedly laundered can exhibit a yellowing in color appearance which causes the fabric to look older and worn. This can be especially true for cotton and cotton containing fabrics. Treatment of fabrics with conventional rinse added fabric conditioning compositions containing cationic softener actives can cause yellowing of fabrics over time with repeated use. To overcome the undesirable yellowing of white fabrics, and similar discoloration of other light colored fabrics, some fabric conditioning compositions include a hueing or bluing dye which attaches to fabric during the laundry wash and/or rinse cycle.
However, after repeated laundering of fabric with a fabric conditioning composition containing a hueing dye, the hueing dye can tend to accumulate on the fabric, giving the fabric a bluish tint. Such repeated laundering of white fabric articles tends to give the articles a blue, rather than white, appearance. To combat this accumulation of hueing dyes on fabric, chlorine treatments have been developed. While the chlorine treatment is effective to remove accumulated hueing dyes, the chlorine treatment is an additional and often inconvenient step in the laundry process. Additionally, chlorine treatment involves increased laundering costs, is harsh on fabrics, and can also cause fabric yellowing and therefore undesirably contributes to increased fabric degradation. Alternatively, hueing dyes in fabric conditioning compositions have been selected to minimize the build-up of an undesirable tint, but then they do not provide a consumer noticeable whitening benefit.
Similarly, upon laundering of fabric with a fabric conditioning composition containing a hueing dye, fabric staining by the hueing dye can occur. Fabric staining can occur through the normal use and misuse of the fabric conditioning composition. For example, fabric staining can occur when the fabric conditioning composition comprising a hueing dye is poured directly onto wet fabrics. Direct contact between the fabric conditioning composition and wet fabric can also occur after the spin cycle following the wash cycle before sufficient water is present to fully disperse the composition. In such cases, a high level of hueing dye in a relatively small area of fabric results in a visibly noticeable stain on the fabric. To remove the stain, the fabric must be rewashed. Likewise, to avoid the possibility of creating a stain on garments, hueing dyes have been selected in the past to minimize fabric staining, but then they do not provide a consumer-noticeable whitening benefit.
Accordingly, a need exists for improved fabric conditioning compositions which can counter the undesirable yellowing of white fabrics and similar discoloration of other light colored fabrics without causing the build-up of an undesirable tint or the creation of undesirable stains on fabric.